3 way fridges

Hi azp777

The only advice I can give you is make sure you run your fridge on gas at home before you go away.

1. To make sure it works

2. Apparently the first time it stinks due to the plastics / heat etc

And i like the idea of losing the freezer door, that makes sense.


Good luck

Stevie

Never forget and leave the fridge on 12volts if you go away from I presume the camper or van.
Three way fridges generally use 120watts of power to heat the element. This is 10 amps at 12volts, and will flatten even a big battery in a number of hours.
Regards Philip A

Hi

If you mean the divider on the Chescold RC1180, then the freezer is 16 litres, so it is quite a bit of space.

The Chescold RC1180 and F400 are probably the only 2 fridges you should be looking at, as the rest won't work nearly as well in hot temperatures.

The RC1180 and F400 both have the same consumption of gas and power, so from this it is safe to assume that the F400 would work better as fridge/freezer compared with the larger RC1180. Unless you need 50L of space the F400 is sufficient and cheaper.

One thing with the 3 way fridges is that they work best on 240V and gas and while they do keep things cold on 12V, will draw quite a bit of current from your cars battery. This can flatten your battery or cook your wiring (if a low rating). 3 way fridges are best if you are going to be in the one place for more than a few days , due to using gas. If you plan to be on the move a lot, you'd be better off getting an Engel - I've got both.

If you haven't used a 3 way fridge for a while turn it upside down for 30 seconds to mix the solution up. Also every now and then you will have to clean the gas jet where the flame comes from, as carbon deposits build up - this can be done with a toothbrush and metho. The other thing to do is to cover the gas inlet when in storage to prevent rubbish getting in and clogging things up.

3 ways are good fridges when you're in the one place for a few days or longer and last for donkeys years. You can pick the current model ones up on Ebay for less than half price and most are like new.

Goodluck, Will.

Another tip, always make sure the back of the fridge has good ventilation and shade. If the air vents on the side of the van aren't very big or are getting too much sun, the fridge can sometimes work overtime trying unsuccessfully to keep things cool! If this is the case, you may need to make sure that the vent is propped open or that side of the van has permanent shade so the fridge isn't getting the heat during the day.

I'll put my 2 Bobs worth in too,

Never run gas while your mobile,

I also found that if the fridge has been powered all night there probably is no need to run it all day, Mine was not powered for 11 hours across the Nullabor and when I stopped at night the items in the freezer were still solid, connected to the mains in Pt Augusta overnight and then same thing next day. I just have a 240v fridge,

Hi all, I forgot to say that i am talking about a large'ish 3 way upright caravan fridge. azp777

I travel with an old Chescold 3 way and also a bubble level and wedges to ensure the fridge is level. These type of fridges work best when level. Enjoy your travels.
Regards, PAWB.

12volt switch, which was in the on position failed, i thought it was the element so paid the $100 for new one, it was after putting it in i found out it was the switch , yeah in hindsight i should have checked.
Had it turned to 12 volt and power was okay elsewhere.
Found out the switch would work sometimes, not good enough ,so i put a bypass switch in with a light at the front so as to know it was working.
No more defrosted food , and now have spare 12 volt element for electrolux R M 361 fridge

Will work fine on gas or 240 and 12 will keep it going during the trip in the 4x4..

If you are stopping for say some sightseeing ( even if its only 10mins ) then change over to gas STRAIGHT away so you don't give it a chance to start heating up.....

Same at the end of the day.......STRAIGHT onto gas or 240........when I had my 3 way, it was the 1st thing I did at the end of the day before anything else ( even beer !! )

To make sure your fridge works to its maximum capacity read this and take the hints to improve your fridge installation if necessary.

PeterD

Whenever possible load the fridge with cold food etc as they are very slow to bring the temp down. Also have the fridge on 240 or gas for at least 24hrs before you use it then load with cold goods if possible. When replacing drinks do so last thing before bed this will give the fridge an easier go at bringing the drinks down in temp due to the cooler temps at night.